Chapter 38

- Xenon -

< You have leveled up! >

< You have leveled up! >

< Evaluating performance… >

* Ding *

< You are eligible for rewards! >

< +1 END Gained! >

< +1 WIL Gained! >

< +1 INT Gained! >

< +1 WIS Gained! >

< +1 LUK Gained! >

< You have gained: Suppressor. >

< You have gained: [Detect Presence. (Active/Passive)]. >

[Detect Presence. (Active/Passive)] LVL 1

*Passive

Cost: None

Walkers within 250m range are shown on the map.

Active:

Cost : ????

Detect living beings within the ability's range.

Current range: 30m

< System upgraded! >

< Status >

Name : Xenon

Level : 6 | Progress : 0/70

Race : Human

Age : 16

-

Stamina (SP) : 240/240

-

STR : 14

DEX : 11

CON : 4

END : 12

CHA: 14

WIL : 4

INT : 24

WIS : 13

LUK : 9

Unused Stat Points: 5

<>

I have finally noticed that I had leveled up, and twice at that. The system had probably hidden the notifications so I could keep my attention on the situation at hand, since the slightest mistake would've been deadly.

The stat increase is insane, especially since they are stats I have no idea how to upgrade. Like LUK, how am I going to get more of that? Grind it by gambling or something? I got 10 SP from 1 END point again, and finally, I unlocked what seems to be Stat Points. They allow me to increase whatever stat I want by spending them. I obviously won't be spending any right now, I haven't thought about what stat would be beneficial to me the most.

The silencer is a welcome addition as well, it will go straight to my P320. But the best thing that came out of this is the new skill. Although I didn't know what it costs me, I'm sure it's a consumable resources like Stamina, it won't be eating chunks of my soul whenever I try it. The passive is just the cherry on top, I mean from now on, I will be 250m safe from walkers, won't have to scout for them at all. I could already see them on my mini-map.

Speaking of which, why are they so many red dots, all coming to my current position from both ends of the street…? As soon as I realized what was happening, I went back to the house and locked it down. There is at least a hundred of those abominations coming straight at me, and I have no way to fight them off. I went ahead and closed all the windows as slowly as I could. In my panic, I completely forgot that I had effectively just trapped myself with no way out. If they stay here, I will have to wait for them to leave without making a sound. I don't know how much time it would take, but I can only hope the supplies in this house and my inventory would be enough.

I took out everything I had in my inventory and placed it in the ground in the living room. I did that so I could clear the space in my inventory, then I put the single seat couch in it instead. That single item filled my whole inventory. I popped it out in front of the door, and inclined it to block it. I have no idea how good a job I did, but I hope I don't find out.

Now, I noticed I had another problem to deal with. The dead body on the larger couch. In the world of the walking dead, everyone was infected with the virus, and should you die, regardless of how, even from natural causes, you'd come back as a mindless walker. That means that I had a time bomb in the house with me, and it's only a matter of time before he start screaming bloody murder. The solution? I had to finish him fast before he wakes up.

I drew my Bowie out, and as I was about to dive it into his skull, I had an epiphany. What if the little walkers stay here for a long time? The bastards can be pretty relentless. It means I would be stuck for the same amount of time, and might die from starvation if it lasts long enough. I shouldn't be taking that kind of risks, and this walker would be my ticket out of the otherwise hairy situation.

Which means, I need him to come back to life just in case I needed him. But once resurrected, he'll be a wild card I have no control over, whose only objective is to eat me alive, and make as much noise as possible in the process, attracting the nearby walkers to the tasty meal waiting for them inside. I could bind him, so that he couldn't move, but I wouldn't count on any binding against their supernatural strength. There is a better, more permanent albeit disgusting solution: cutting off his limbs.

The zombies didn't need anything but their brain to survive (brain in the literal sense), that means I could cut off his arms and legs, and he absolutely wouldn't mind. Obviously, I did try other solutions before that, namely putting the corpse in my inventory, except I couldn't, since it cost too much ENV points for some reason, probably the system's way of telling me: 'Nope'.

I began by stuffing as much tissues as I could down its throat, to take away his annoying growls. Then I got to work, cutting his arms first from his shoulders. I couldn't use too my hatchet since it would make too much noise, otherwise it would've been over with in the matter of seconds. Instead, I cut around his articulation so I didn't have to go through the bones. It took me about thirty minutes to finish the job, and god I hope I never have to do this again. I might have developed some kind of mind resistance thanks to the system, but it doesn't make it any less disgusting.